The Prodigal Daughter
by slickchick84
Summary: Years after sharing one night of passion with Spencer, then abandoning her, along with the rest of her family, Ashley returns. Now Ashley must finally face the concequences and Spencer must adapt to having the girl that broke her heart back in her life.
1. The Return

**Don't shoot me for starting yet another story. It simply couldn't be helped. I mainlined the first ten or so episodes of Dirty Sexy Money this last month and it gave me an idea that simply would not go away. So here it is, inspired in part by aforementioned show. This is mostly set up, as the next few chapters will probably be.**

**Oh yeah, it's obviously AU, so not everyone will fit into the neat little SON boxes they usually do.**

**Rating will vary from PG to (gasp!) NC-17.**

**I don't own the show, yadda, yadda, yadda, please don't sue, yadda, yadda, yadda! You know the drill by now;)**

The Prodigal daughter.

Chapter 1: The Return.

At twenty eight, Spencer supposed her life should have amounted to more than paper work. Well, paper work and making sure that Raife Davies, though if you looked at his birth certificate it clearly stated _Reginald _Davies, didn't end up knocking out the smug looking German business man in front of them.

"Mr Braun, we both know you don't have the capital to follow through on this."

Karl Braun, tall and thin with dark, hawkish eyes, looked at Spencer with a smile that made the hair at the back of her neck stand up. She knew his type, he was probably born into money and thought he could buy or bully anyone to concede to his will, probably never even heard the word no in his life before.

Thing is that Spencer had done her homework, and she'd done it thoroughly. It was what she was paid for after all. So Spencer was pretty intent on introducing the young German to the word no.

"I think you're forgetting that I have my father as an investor in this enterprise, Miss...Coleman?"

The man knew her surname, had been verbally introduced to her on more than three occasions and she knew he was just doing it to piss her off. Raife apparently knew that too.

"Cut the crap, Karl my boy, we know your daddy put his foot down and closed his wallet to you. Why was it again, Spence? Something about his gambling problem? Or was it those nasty rumors about young Karl's taste for underage prostitutes?"

Spencer shared a grin with Raife, both knowing that they were going in for the kill. No one pulled a fast one on Raife Davies and Spencer, loyal as she was to the man, had made sure in the last year that she worked for him that if someone tried, they regretted it. So it was with some satisfaction that she noticed her employer give her a small nod, encouraging her to take the lead.

"Hmm, I believe that last one was what made Daddy tighten the purse strings, yes. You thought we hadn't heard about that little tidbit? The company's called Davies _International_, Karl, which implies that we have offices, people, _internationally_. People means ears and eyes, means information. It's not that difficult a concept to understand, you know? Then again, seeing as you had to _bribe_ one of your professors to barely graduate University, it might actually be for you."

Okay, so maybe Spencer Carlin was a bit more than just your average paper pusher. She was right hand man, woman if you will, to Raife Davies and that meant at any given day she could either broker a multi-million dollar deal, baby sit his youngest daughter or play private investigator for him. Though yes, at the end of the day, there really was still a crap loud of paper work waiting for her.

Karl Braun blushed deeply, but not with shame, Spencer was almost sure of it. The man was livid, angry beyond comprehension, and that emotion bled across his face. He was an arrogant bastard, a man that was too lazy to work hard for what he wanted and probably got to where he was by using his charming smile, his family name and less than honorable business ethic.

Spencer enjoyed nailing assholes like that to the wall.

"You're making some wild accusations there, Miss _Carlin_. I'm sure my lawyer would agree with me that claims like that without any proof could easily lead to you getting sued for defamation of character."

Spencer rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue, her face showing nothing but cool scorn as she finally lay her gaze levelly on Braun.

"I _am_ a lawyer, Mr Braun, I know the law. Besides, I think we both know that if I went digging, I'd quiet easily find more than enough evidence to back me up. Actually, you sitting here is at least confirming one of my suspicions so far."

Braun's eyebrows shot up and Spencer gave him a small smile.

"We know why you came to us. We know you don't have the money to actually close the deal on the Waterman Tower. What where you going to do, make Mr Davies an offer well above what you 'payed' for it?" Spencer shook her head and gave him what Raife referred to as her piss-off-and-die look. She'd apparently inherited it from her mother. "Now I'm pretty sure you can get up out of your seat and leave, but we both know that we could make a phone call or two and this little stunt of yours could land you in a world of trouble. And I'm not sure daddy would bail you out if it came down to it, _Karl_. So how about we give you an offer you can't refuse and we all walk away from this happy?"

He was well and truly nailed, he knew it, she knew it and from the shit eating grin on Raife's face, her boss knew it too. Karl Braun had been handed the deed to Waterman Towers with money borrowed from a less than savory source with the intent to basically immediately run to Raife Davies and sell the property to him at an inflated price. The borrowed money would be returned and he'd make a nice cut out of the whole deal. He had no capital to back his venture, not in the long term at least and it hadn't taken Spencer very long to uncover that fact.

So three hours later it was a done deal, papers were signed and Raife being Raife, money had already been transferred to the proper accounts. Davies International owned Waterman Tower and Karl Braun would never in his wasted life fuck with them again. Spencer had made sure of that.

"You did good today, Kid. Your old man would have been proud."

Spencer grimaced slightly at that, because something told her that her father, her predecessor, would probably not have approved. Arthur Carlin had been a good man, a simple man. Yes, he'd been the Davies family lawyer for more than twenty years, but Spencer knew that in that time he had never done a single thing that had gone against his beliefs. He'd left the cut throat side of things to Raife, making sure to reign the man in when it needed to be done and simply always standing by him.

Spencer had found in the last year or so that she enjoyed going in for the kill as much as Raife did. A day like today, when they'd faced off with someone and walked away on top, Spencer felt exhilaration rush through her. It had been unexpected for her in the beginning, because as long as she could remember people had been telling her how much like her father she was. No one had expected Spencer to adapt so quickly, to find her feet in a world that was dominated by mostly soulless bastards masquerading as businessmen.

Well, everyone except for Raife of course. She'd asked him, right in the beginning when he'd hired her, why he chose her, why he thought _her_ capable of stepping into her father's shoes. He'd looked at her, long and hard and given her his wide, boyish smile.

"Because you're not the meek little lam everyone thinks you are. I've seen it in you, Spencer, I've seen your fire. You're perfectly capable of doing what your father did, actually, you're capable of doing better than he ever did, because I think you can trust me in a way your father never could."

She'd wanted to ask him, back then, what he meant, but she'd been confused and sad and just a little lost. Her father had been buried less than twenty four hours previously and there was Raife Davies offering her his old job. So she'd let it slide, had excepted the job on a whim really, but today she understood what Raife had meant that day.

She trusted Raife implicitly, knew that he was one of the few men that had built an empire and retained his humanity, his heart, while doing it. Her father had doubted Raife, had doubted his ability to get where he was without stepping on someone to get there. So he'd never let himself be put in a position where he could somehow be involved in something that didn't sit well with his conscious. He did his job, but he never truly participated like Spencer did.

Arthur had instead got more non-profit organizations off the ground than anyone else could manage, and he'd done it successfully. He'd drafted up water tight contracts and made sure that every rule and every regulation was followed, but he never had a more vocal part of any deal brokered than that.

Spencer for her part had realized almost from the get go that Raife Davies didn't need to do underhanded deals, didn't need to own a senator or two or bribe any councilmen. Raife Davies was ruthless, sure, but he was honest to a fault sometimes. He had a determination to reach his goal, but he never left any innocent casualties in his wake when he reached it.

What happened with Karl Braun had not been his doing. Davies International had made a legitimate offer on the Waterman Tower like a few other companies did, but Braun was the one that crossed the line and made the gloves come off. Spencer could understand, and definitely appreciate, that though one didn't start a dirty fight, it didn't mean one couldn't end it with a swift blow to the gut.

So Spencer wouldn't loose sleep over Karl Braun and the threats they'd made to eventually procure the high rise office building, because she knew that if things could have been played out in a more honest, fair way, then Raife would have taken that route.

Why her father never had the insight to see this about Raife, his best friend, Spencer didn't know, but she suspected that there was a story there to explain it. She was still building her courage to ask what that story might be though.

"Well, Spencer, that was nicely played."

Spencer was pulled from her thoughts by Raife's voice and met his gaze, giving him a tired, yet happy, smile.

"Braun had it coming, the man's a slime ball of epic proportion. It didn't have to be this way, but in the end it was his own doing."

Raife nodded his head and angled his head to the side, quickly glancing at the bronzed clock on his desk.

"It's past nine, kiddo, you should head out. It's been a long day for you."

Spencer smiled at the quick change in Raife. One minute he would treat her as his right hand, as his lawyer and associate, then in a blink of an eye he would become her father's best friend and treat her like a doting uncle would. His eyes were soft and caring as he took in Spencer's unbuttoned pants suit jacket, her dark rimmed glasses and the obvious signs of exhaustion around her eyes and mouth.

Spencer looked down at herself and realized that she did look a bit rumpled after the day they had. She'd been at the Davies mansion since six that morning, had more meetings in the last four days because of the Waterman Tower and it's subsequent sale than she'd had in the last month and she was well and truly spent.

She found herself smiling and standing, stretching her back out a bit and almost groaning when it popped most satisfyingly. As much as she loved her job, she was looking forward to a proper nights sleep.

"I think I'll do that, Mr Davies."

Raife rolled his eyes as he always did.

"My name's Raife, Spencer, for the millionth time. So call me that."

Spencer gave another smile as she picked up her leather briefcase and walked to the heavy oak door of Raife's study.

"Of course, Mr Davies."

She stepped into the hallway with the sound of her boss's soft laughter ringing in her ears and a smile on her face. As always the sight of the opulent house distracted Spencer on her way to the entry hall. She'd spent more time in it than she had her own home growing up, yet it always astounded her. Growing up they weren't poor, Arthur's job meaning that they lived quite comfortably actually, but it could never compare to the lavishness of the Davies mansion.

Everything was in abundance, the ceilings high and the rooms large, the interior fashionably furnished every year by a different designer and most everything cost a fortune. It looked exactly like what it was: a house that belonged to a man that wouldn't be able to spend all the money he'd acquired even if he lived to be two hundred years old.

Yet Spencer had never been swayed by any of the wealth that had surrounded her, because that wealth had in a way stolen her father. She'd loved her dad, and he had definitely loved her, but growing up she never really had much of a relationship with him. There had simply not been enough time for it. Arthur had worked and he'd worked hard. It had cost him his marriage in the end and was the reason that Spencer had spent so many of her childhood days in a house that wasn't even her own.

Sometimes she felt she hadn't been more than a beloved after thought to her father. There was nothing she could do about it now though, so she shook her head and made her way downstairs. She passed a bedroom on her way and smiled as she heard music loudly playing, accompanied by a slightly shrilly voice.

Kyla Davies had not inherited her father's voice, but it never stopped her from trying to emulate the man. She at least had enough common sense to not do it in _public_ view. No amount of editing and tweaking would make her sound like her father after all. That gift had been given to another Davies though, but it was a fact that Spencer never let herself think about.

By the time Spencer came down the steps, she had her car keys pinched between her lips and her hand in her handbag, distractedly searching for her BlackBerry. Reaching the bottom step she finally pulled her phone out of her bag, only to slightly trip and send it sprawling away from her. She closed her eyes for a second as she steadied herself with a hand against the wall, praying briefly that she didn't just kill her phone on top of possibly spraining an ankle.

When she opened her eyes, she abruptly let her keys drop as her jaw sagged open. No more than a few feet in front of her, standing hesitantly in the doorway between the front room and the entrance hall, Spencer's phone practically by her feet, stood Ashley Davies.

Ashley Davies, the girl who'd given up her father's money at nineteen and never looked back. Ashley Davies, who'd broken Spencer's heart that very same night by warming her bed for a few hours and then disappearing wordlessly in the morning, not to be seen again.

Until now, after all those years of silence, there she stood: The prodigal daughter returned.

- - -

**So mostly this was set up, but I hope you like it. I don't know if you'd like me to continue? Yes, no? You tell me. Also would you maybe want a back flash or two then, or should I just keep it in the now and leave the explaining to narration? **


	2. War Child

**To all of you that took the time to read and review, THANK YOU!!! You're all pretty great for giving me some support on this story and I really appreciate it!**

The Prodigal Daughter

Chapter 2: War Child

She was as beautiful as Spencer remembered, her hair still naturally streaked with red and her skin a familiar warm honey tone. What was different was the almost shy stance, the hands that were nervously tucked into the pockets of her softly faded jeans and the way her face was angled down. She looked smaller than Spencer remembered, like somehow the fact that her once vibrant and confidant nature seemed so obviously muted, had in fact shrunk her.

When a soft sigh escaped Ashley's mouth, Spencer found herself shuddering. The small sound seemed to break the quiet as effectively as a gun shot would have and both woman found themselves blinking in shock.

"Hey, Spencer."

Ashley's voice seemed as hushed as her whole demeanor, it's low tone practically vibrating down the length of Spencer's spine.

"Ash..." Spencer cleared her throat when her voice broke slightly on the long forgotten nickname and tried again. "Ashley." A small nod was all that she added to the acknowledgement.

Then the quiet crept back between them, both feeling robbed of words by the surprise of seeing the other. It was Ashley, her eyes down cast as she bent stifly to pick up the BlackBerry laying by her feet, that finally then stepped forward and caused Spencer to reflectively take a step back and once again stumble on the bottom step.

A hand shot out to help balance her, but inches from actually touching Spencer's skin, the hand stopped and simply hovered in the air. Ashley's eyes darted towards Spencer's face and away again, her throat working as she swallowed words down.

"You okay?"

The voice was still muted, still somehow foreign yet familiar, and Spencer found herself nodding again. She was ill prepared for this meeting, didn't have hours of planning and research to give her the general feeling of comfort she usually had when stepping into what was certainly going to be a confrontation of sorts. Spencer hated surprises in general and this situation, and the feeling of uncertainty that rushed her, just seemingly cemented her previous feelings on the matter.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just...I wasn't expecting you."

It was an understatement of grand proportion, like calling the Titanic sinking a small nautical mishap. Spencer had, after all, been pretending for the last few years that Ashley Davies simply didn't exist. Now she was confronted with the girl, or more accurately after nine years, _woman _, in the flesh. She could honestly say the denial had been nice while it lasted.

"I'm pretty sure no one's expecting me."

Ashley seemed hesitant again, her brown eyes skittering about Spencer's face, then around the room and back again. She was so obviously nervous, it unnerved Spencer. The Ashley she had known had never been nervous a day in her life, not in any way, shape or form. Ashley had been pure energy and excitement, had been fearless and brave in ways that Spencer herself had been mostly envious of in her teen years.

This woman though? Spencer got the distinct feeling she didn't know her at all, or maybe she'd never really known Ashley the way she thought she had. The clenching in her gut and wrongness of the thought made her shake her head minutely at herself.

She_ had_ known Ashley, completely and truly, just as Ashley had know her. That was why everything that had happened between them had hurt so deeply.

"Do you know if...uhm...are my parents home?" She swallowed and suddenly straightened her shoulders, her head tilting up as she spoke again. "I'd like to talk to them, to you, to all of you if that's possible."

She seemed a bit more certain now, a little bit of her old self assuredness reappearing and it settled Spencer's nerves a bit. This was more familiar, this she could handle, knew _how_ to handle.

Yet she didn't have the chance to replay, because as fate would have it, they could both clearly hear the front door opening and seconds later a tall brunette made her way into the front room. Mossy green eyes took in the scene, eyebrows raising faintly as they landed on Ashley and then quickly jumped to Spencer.

"Well, isn't this interesting. Are you going to introduce me to my sister or shall I do it myself, Spence?"

It was Ashley that abruptly stumbled over her own feet for no apparent reason this time, Spencer's hand landing squarely against her lower back to steady the movement. The contact was light, but it immediately had the desired effect of centering Ashley. Spencer kept her hand there for a few seconds more, not sure what justified the prolonged contact, but for a minute she was eighteen years old again and Ashley was her best friend. Her best friend that just had the shock of her life probably.

It was surreal, the feeling, and lasted for no more than another half second before she pulled her hand back.

"What? What do you mean sister? Spence, what the hell?!"

Spencer closed her eyes for a second and then opened them, giving Madison a short glare. She loved Maddie, she really did, but sometimes the newest addition to the Davies family, and her friend, drove her up the wall.

Madison had showed up a year or so before Spencer had started working for the Davies', her mother having passed away and in her will finally informing her daughter who her father was. Raife had met Madison's mother at a cafe in Chicago and a short stinted affair had led to the birth of a daughter he had never known about.

It wasn't a fact known to the public and as far as anyone outside of the family knew, Madison was a live in assistant at the Davies mansion. It had been her idea, because even though she was eager to know her father, she hadn't wanted the media focus that that would have entailed if they'd gone public with the news.

Raife had taken it in his stride, despite the fact that Christine Davies, his wife, had almost had an aneurysm when she'd found out. The rest of the family had adapted, Kyla simply loving the fact that she had a sister that actually wanted to be around and Aiden, well. Aiden had actually been an ass about the whole thing, but the family image meant he kept his animosity towards Madison out of the limelight at least.

"Look, Ashley, I think it's best if you just head on up to your father's study. This isn't my place to explain, it's not..." She let out a long breath, her common sense telling her to get the hell out of there and quickly. Sure she was already sucked into the lives of the Davies, had been for years, but this particular Davies had made it quite clear nine years ago that Spencer wasn't wanted by _all_ of them. "It's family business."

Her statement was met with an eye roll from Madison and a frustrated sigh from Ashley. Before she could make her exit though, all their attention was drawn to the second floor when a voice drifted sternly down towards them.

"You _are_ family, Spencer, always have been and you always will be. Now, I suggest all of you make your way to the main lounge while I gather the rest of the family. Make sure there's a martini waiting, I'm sure my dear wife is going to need it."

Raife stood tall at the head of the stairs, his eyes boring into Ashley's and a quiet moment passed like that, with father and daughter seemingly measuring each other from a distance. Ashley's face had changed the minute she heard her father's voice, her eyes going cold and her back straightening considerably. She seemed to be controlling her breathing and after a small nod she turned away from the staring contest.

They stood and watched as Raife made his way off to find the rest of the family spread throughout the house. No one moved at first, Spencer kicking herself for getting dragged into this particular family meeting, Ashley seemingly fighting to keep her cool and Madison simply looking at the two of them in slight amusement.

"So this is sure to be fun, I'm betting Christine is going to go ballistic Are you crazy like the rest of them, Ashley? They never talk about you much, but I've always had hope for you. I mean you were smart enough to escape all this craziness, right?"

Ashley flinched at Madison's words, the fact that her family had all but written her off being confirmed, and the information had hurt her. Spencer could see it, hated that she knew that face well enough to read it's subtle tells so easily. Yet she was proud when she didn't feel the need to immediately comfort the woman again.

"Yeah, I guess you could see it that way."

Spencer heard the words and only shook her head, knowing that Ashley had been the craziest of them all. She didn't see the point of correcting her, just stood there and took a few deep breaths.

Maybe this whole thing wasn't going to turn into such a big disaster after all if she stayed clinical, cool. The thought comforted Spencer and just as swiftly as her equilibrium had been disrupted, it evened itself out again. She felt her control slipping back into place, her doubt disappearing quickly as she took charge of the situation.

She was not a child anymore and it had been years ago that her infatuation with Ashley Davies had all but shriveled up and died. There was no need for her to panic, no need to feel somehow threatened in this situation. She could handle this family emergency like she did all the others, with a soothing presence and a calm mind.

"Okay ladies, I think it's best if we make our way to the lounge. No point in standing around here, if we're going to have this discussion we might as well have it in comfort and near alcohol."

Madison nodded her head and shared a smile with Spencer, both of them drawn to each other in the last year or so because of how they fit into the family dynamic. Madison still felt like an outsider most of the time and Spencer, despite being as much a Davies in Raife's eyes as any of his own children, would never truly _be_ that, so they'd almost naturally migrated towards each other.

They were friends and when they all made their way into the spacious lounge on the first floor, she made sure to subtly align herself with Madison. They sat on an opulent leather couch as Ashley settled into a lounge chair, her back ramrod straight as she took in the now unfamiliar sight of her childhood home.

"It looks different."

Spencer noted that she kept her words to a minimum, never seeming to state anything but what was absolutely necessary to get her point across or ask her questions. It was another thing that was out of place with the memory of Ashley that Spencer had stored away tightly.

"Christine woke up a few months ago and threatened to burn the whole house down to get rid of the _horrible_, _eyesore_ of a lounge."

Madison spoke with the derision she usually kept for Christine and Christine alone, when she quoted the woman. The two despised each other on principle and everyone had stopped trying to broker any sort of peace on that front. Getting in between the crossfire only meant you'd get shot in the ass for your trouble.

"Sounds like my mother, yes."

And that was that. Ashley seemed to get lost in thought as she sat quietly in her chair and Madison sat studying her long lost sibling intently. Spencer knew that despite the young woman's admission that she thought the Davies' were crazy, she longed to be a part of that craziness. She loved her family, it was tentative and new and she was still fighting for a place of her own in the scheme of things, but she was trying.

She knew Madison was curious now, Ashley's sudden appearance peeking her abundant curiosity, and Spencer simply hoped she wouldn't have to answer the questions that were sure to follow. Keeping her distance from Ashley until she knew what the girls true motivations were for showing up here again was key.

"Ashley?"

It was Kyla that asked the bewildered question into the quiet of the room, her appearance unheard by its three occupants. Kyla had Ashley's exuberance, her vivacity for life, but without any of the older girls hangups. She was sweet and somewhat naïve and in Spencer's humble opinion, too sheltered. But that was as much her fault as any of the other Davies'. Kyla was the youngest and the kindest of the lot, and even asshole Aiden instinctively protected her from the harsher aspects of their wealthy reality.

"Jesus, but you've grown."

Spencer's control was sorely tested right then, when Ashley sat staring at her younger sister with such regret and sorrow in her eyes. She felt the need to lay a hand on her shoulder again, to be the comforting best friend that she used to be, but fought the feeling down. It wasn't anyone's fault but Ashley's own that she'd missed her sister growing up. She'd been the one that left after all.

"That tends to happen when nine years go past. Time didn't magically stop just because you..._left_."

With that one word so fully infused with accusation, Kyla exposed her hurt, her anger at her sister. She abruptly squeezed onto the couch next to Spencer, her body curling into itself and the blond reached a hand towards her, gently laying it against a tensed forearm.

"Look, let's just wait for your parents before we start any..._discussions_, okay?"

Spencer kept her voice friendly, light, needing for her own sake to keep things civil for as long as possible. There would be yelling enough when Aiden got here, she was sure, so for know she wanted to keep them on track. Besides, if things got out of hand too quickly, she might not get the information that she wanted desperately.

Was Ashley just dropping by, or was she back for good?

All three woman seemed to agree with Spencer as they nodded quietly, Ashley's eyes resolutely fixed onto the rich carpet by her feet.

"How about I fix us all a drink while we wait? Vodka fine with everyone?"

After her question Spencer was halfway off the couch to do just that before Ashley's mumbled words registered with her, the brunette's eyes still on the floor as she spoke.

"I don't drink, but some water would be nice."

Spencer dropped quickly back onto her seat, her jaw hanging slack for the second time that night.

"You don't _drink_ anymore?"

Ashley had been mostly drunk for the duration of their Senior Year of high school, a fact that Spencer hadn't liked, but she'd had to deal with if she wanted to be around Ashley. Most of the Davies were drunks anyway, but Ashley had been the worst of the lot. Not that she'd been a drunken mess or anything, but she'd always been one drink shy of it. She'd managed somehow to be stuck permanently in that happy, mellow spot that you achieved right before you drank just a little too much and ended up throwing up and embarrassing yourself.

It had made her uninhibited, fun, hysterical to hang out with, but also meant she was prone to impulsively hooking up with perfect strangers and doing things without giving the consequences a second thought.

It had meant that Spencer had worried, had clucked like a worried hen about the girl, until Ashley would turn that glazed smile her way, would dance with her for hours, their bodies swaying rhythmically together and make her forget to worry...

"I've been sober for four years now."

The soft utterance shook Spencer from the memory of the younger versions of herself and Ashley, of nights spent feeding a fire that Spencer had not known existed inside herself back then. She looked back up, waiting for more to be said, for an explanation, but nothing more was forthcoming.

"I...I guess that's good. I'm glad to hear it."

Finally a soft smile painted itself across Ashley's face, her eyes soft and deep as she somehow sweetly looked at Spencer.

"I always thought you would be."

Spencer stilled as her heart, or at least the part of it that had once belonged to the woman sitting across from her, contracted with both a nostalgic sense of joy and panic. Ashley had thought of her, had not simply forgotten about her as Spencer had suspected, in the years after she left. The panic stemmed from why she had done so?

Spencer didn't have time to extract an answer, because before she could stupidly ask the emotionally charged question on the tip of her tongue, she saw Ashley tense completely. Her face paled considerably and she swallowed, her eyes once again hardening as it had when she'd spotted her father earlier.

The blond found herself following Ashley's line of sight, her eyes to rest on the face of Christine Davies. The woman was approaching slowly, her face not over run with emotion as Spencer had suspected it would be. The cold passivity in her eyes, the grim, cruel set of her thin lips made the hair at the base of Spencer's neck rise up and in the pit of her stomach she knew the woman she herself disliked greatly was about to do something bad.

When Ashley finally stood and faced her mother, her own face grimly set, Spencer got her confirmation.

The sound of Christine's hand hitting Ashley's face reverberating in the room was deafening for some reason, and everyone seemed frozen on the spot.

"I told you nine years ago to leave this house and I told you _never_ to come back."

The older woman's voice was cold, something that Spencer could only describe as pure hate resonating in every word. When her hand raised again, Spencer finally found her voice and the strength to move again.

"Jesus Christ, _Christine_!"

Her hand caught the woman's wrist inches from the passive Ashley's face, her fingers purposely tight as she yanked it down. She shoved the woman away, harder than was smart, but she couldn't help herself in that moment. She turned briskly to Madison, the only one she knew was probably keeping a level head right now and pleaded with her wordlessly.

Madison was up and off the couch immediately, her hand finding Christine's shoulder and the woman was abruptly shoved into a chair in the corner of the room. Then all else faded, the room and Christine's protests and Kyla's tears and Raife's quiet sigh as he stood in the doorway, when Spencer finally looked into Ashley's eyes.

Suddenly she was nineteen years old again, opening the door to her dorm room and finding herself staring straight into the tortured eyes of her best friend...

- - -

**I hope this didn't disappoint and that you all enjoyed it. Was this okay, or did your eyeballs shrivel up after reading it? Let me know! **

**Also kudos to anyone that can guess the band that sings 'War Child' without having to google it, you're my kind of people if you can!**


	3. Remembering

**So I realize I haven't updated this in forever, but other obligations got in the way. I apologize for that, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it! **

**As always a big thank you to those that read and reviewed, the support is most welcome and greatly appreciated. **

The Prodigal Daughter

Chapter 3: Remembering

**Nine years ago...**

"_Are you okay?"_

_Spencer was tired, her hair mussed from worried fingers that kept tangling in it while she studied, yet she still managed to somehow look better than her best friend who stood in her doorway. _

"_No, I'm...I'm..."_

_A shudder ran through Ashley's thin frame and Spencer stepped forward, forgetting to worry about her sweat pants and stretched out t-shirt, as she pulled the girl inside her room, her foot haphazardly swinging out to shut the door behind them._

"_Did something happen? Did that moron of a brother say something again? God, I don't get how you and Aiden are even related, he's such a pig and you're..."_

_Spencer trailed off there, at a loss for words as to what Ashley was. These days, when she thought of her friend, she was filled with so much feeling, with so much need and emotion and it was all a little scary, a little confusing._

"_I'm what? A fuck up? A slut? Tell me something I don't know, Spence."_

_Spencer stepped back at this, her face carefully closed as she held Ashley at arms length, her eyes methodically traveling across the pale girls features. Something was wrong, something was really wrong when the usually high spirited Ashley stood there and dragged herself down like that. Generally speaking no one had to tell Ashley she was beautiful or fun or great, because Ashley told herself on a daily basis. She had a high opinion of herself, one that Spencer shared really, so to hear her talking like this made warning bells screech in the background._

"_Who said that? Aiden? He's an ass, Ash, you know that! So tell me what happened and then I can go kick his butt for you, okay?"_

_Spencer smiled as she spoke, her fingers running gently over Ashley's shoulders, hoping she could lighten the mood that hung about the girl. It was disconcerting to see her like this, like a wild animal that was hurting and angry, her eyes pained even when her body language spoke of strained anger._

_Ashley shrugged her off, turning away from her to stare at the books and notepad spread out on top of her bed. A ragged breath shook the small shoulders and Spencer found herself stepping forward, her arms wrapping around Ashley as she settled her chin on her shoulder, breathing deeply as the girl's familiar smell rushed her._

"_You're going to kick whoever said that's ass? Yeah, that's not going to work, not unless you want to take on my whole family. This isn't fucking kindergarten where you can just punch someone in the nose because they insulted me, Spence! This is fucking real life and it...it..."_

_Then suddenly there were sobs, hard, bone shuddering sobs, as Ashley seemed to buckle under the weight of whatever it was that happened. Even as Spencer's arms tightened their hold, the blond found herself panicking. Ashley was crying like her heart was broken, like her whole world had just collapsed and there was seemingly nothing that Spencer could do._

"_Hey, no, don't cry, Ash. Please just, just don't cry, okay? I've got you, it's fine, so don't cry, I'll make it better, but you have to tell me what happened."_

_When Ashley turned in her arms, Spencer's breath caught, because there was something so lost, so wanting in those brown eyes, it seemed to hit her squarely in her stomach, winding her almost._

"_That's why I came here, 'cos I knew, I _knew_ if I could just get to you..."_

_A warm, wet face was pressed into Spencer's neck and suddenly lips touched her skin, not tentatively and not chastely, but with determination and passion. _

"_You always make things right, make things slow down and stop spinning. I just have to look at your face and God, the world makes more sense to me. I just want you to make things right for me now, please Spencer, please?"_

_It was said between wet, sloppy kisses, between hands creeping underneath her shirt and up her back, fingers clinging desperately to her even as more tears flowed down Ashley's face. Spencer was terrified at this point, worried that Ashley had finally gone and taken something that she couldn't handle, or maybe someone had hurt her, or taken advantage, or..._

_There were endless scenarios, endless ors running though her head, even while her body seemed to shudder and surge into Ashley's own. Even as she tried to process the fact that her best friend was kissing her, touching her, in a way that they never have, in a way that her body seemed to want so desperately, she couldn't stop worrying. _

"_Did someone hurt you? Ashley, you need to stop and talk to me!"_

_She was forceful this time, her hands firmly shoving Ashley away from her, her mind incapable of concentrating if those soft hands kept clinging to her, if lips she suddenly realized she'd been craving for didn't stop slanting against her own._

"_Why do we need to talk, Spence? So I can tell you what I did? So I can tell you how my own mother fucking hates me? Or that my dad took her side and that...that I told him I never wanted to be like him, that I didn't want anything he's ever given me? All I need for you to understand right now is that I need you, Spence."_

_Dark eyes bore into her own and a trembling hand reached for her again, lay itself against her breast, just over her heart._

"_And I know you want this, I know. I've known for months, we both have, so don't stand there and tell me we need to talk, because I don't want to do that, not tonight."_

_Then the hand against her breast moved, and suddenly her face was drawn almost painfully down to meet Ashley's again, the hand now cupped against her nape making it impossible to pull away. A mouth sealed over Spencer's own and despite her worry, her panic, Spencer couldn't help but get lost in the heat of it all._

_They had been dancing around it for months, Spencer had known that, but she hadn't known _exactly_ what they were dancing around. Until now. Until her body seemingly came alive under Ashley's hands and lips and skin. When they were sprawled on her bed, books poking into her back and Ashley fused to her mouth, her hips, Spencer knew they were going to cross the line._

_Hell, she was aching to cross the line, to finally have what she'd always known was hers, just not to what extent. They had always belonged together, had always been friends, but this felt right, this felt better than anything had ever felt between them and the obvious wonder on Ashley's face said she felt it too._

"_I love you, Spencer, I want you to know that. No matter what anyone tells you tomorrow, I want you to know that you're my one good thing, you know?"_

_Spencer, crazy with love and lust and lost in sensation and happiness, heard the words, but couldn't get out more than a whispered 'Love you' against the mouth consuming her own. _

_Then time, along with the world and reason, disappeared for a small eternity. It was just Ashley and herself, just suddenly naked skin against skin, and nothing else. Spencer grew bold in that everlasting, yet fleeting, moment and let her hands wonder over breasts, over a face she had seen almost everyday of her nineteen years of life. _

_She tasted skin and mouth, she discovered warmth and wetness, she marveled in sensation and drowned in want. When she finally found herself poised, her body strained and taut, above Ashley, she knew what it felt like to love and be loved. It was in Ashley's eyes, in her desperate hands, in her pleading words. There was no fear, no hesitation, when she let her fingers glide into Ashley, when she let her mouth lay moist and panting against Ashley's own._

_When Ashley came, when her body shook and tears spilled from her eyes, Spencer found her peace in this world, her purpose. Later, when Ashley was the one holding her, when she was the one coming and shaking and crying, she accepted that Ashley felt the same..._

**Present day...**

"It's okay, I probably deserved that."

Spencer started at the small chuckle that accompanied Ashley's words, at the flash of pain in her eyes even as she let the humorless sound fall into the tensed room. It poked at her slumbering anger like a curious child with a stick would at a snake.

"No, you didn't deserve that. No one deserves _that_."

Her blue eyes cut back to Christine and she had to clench down hard on her tongue to stop herself from saying anything else. She wanted to shake the older woman, wanted to scream and shout until her own anger abated, but she knew better than to do that.

She needed to keep control here, she needed to stay calm, or it was all going to go to hell in a handbasket quicker than you could blink your eye.

"Spencer is right, that wasn't called for, no matter what. I didn't call everyone in here so you could take pot shots at Ashley, I called you here so we could talk." Raife eyed Christine, white faced and panting, as she sat on the chair, and then turned back to face the room, his voice low and serious, emphasizing his next words. "_As _a_ family_, because that's what we are. _All_ of us."

Spencer noticed his eyes lingering on Ashley as he spoke those last words, understood clearly the message being conveyed. By the stunned and relieved look that flashed across Ashley's face for a second, she understood too. Then he turned and sat down next to the crying Kyla, his arm naturally falling around her shoulders.

Ashley slowly sat back down on her own chair and Spencer found herself standing alone in the middle of the room, all eyes inexplicably on her. Slightly uncomfortable, she coughed and straightened her shoulders before speaking.

"Well, I guess we can all agree that skipping drinks would be a good idea at this point. How about we just get to it and hear what Ashley has to say."

With no protest coming, not even from Christine who looked like she needed and wanted a stiff drink, Spencer found herself wandering towards Ashley, leaning casually against the side of the woman's chair with her hip. She was clearly playing guard dog, not a role she wanted to play necessarily, but with Christine already upset and Aiden probably on his way, she knew it was needed.

This was her role in the family, a role she had been playing ever since joining Raife and taking her father's place in the business. She mediated, she kept the chaotic family from eating each other alive during crisis and made sure to clean up whatever messes were made. So even if she had her own issues with Ashley, even if her own anger and resentment was still there, she did what she knew needed to be done.

When Ashley looked up at her and smiled a small, grateful smile, despite everything she knew she had done the right thing.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Run out of drug money again, have we?"

Aiden Davies was attractive, there was no arguing that, but his physical beauty paled considerably when you knew the ugliness that resided inside of him. He was petty and snobbish, an entitled asshole that generally made Spencer want to go away and kick something if she spent any considerable amount of time in his company.

Obviously he was Christine's favorite child.

"Aiden, so nice of you to grace us with your dazzling wit and presence. Mind leaving your pitch fork by the door though? We're trying to have a civil conversation here, you know, like adults."

Spencer couldn't help the sarcasm, or the rolling of her eyes, when it came to Aiden. The asshole in him brought out the bitch in her, it had always been like that and it always would be. Spencer was pretty much fine with that.

"Why am I not surprised that you're already playing at being her lapdog the minute she's back in town? Do you even know what she's doing here, or are you just blindly taking her side in this like always? I thought after she left you'd learned your lesson, what with all the pitiful crying and moping you did for months afterwards."

Spencer tensed at the words, old remembered hurts washing over her for a second or two, and she found herself straightening, found herself drifting a little further away from Ashley.

"Leave Spencer alone, you're problem is with me, always has been."

There was silence as Aiden huffed into a seat of his own and Spencer settled for standing off to one side, watching this quiet, reserved version of Ashley. Had this been nine years earlier, she knew Ashley would have gone ballistic. Now she just sat there and visibly ground her teeth together in an obvious effort to ignore her own brother.

"Look, I know you're not happy to see me and you've _all_ got good reason for feeling that way, but I needed to come back and..." Ashley swallowed once, her eyes flitting to her father's face before she continued. "I needed to tell you how sorry I was. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I wanted you to at least know that I regret what I did, that I regret leaving. All I can say is that I've changed, that I've sorted myself and my life out and that I'd very much like to be a part of yours again if it's possible."

It was the most she had said since stepping into the house and the words seemed to take a toll, Spencer noticed. Ashley's uncertainty was back, her hands strained white as she held onto the chair, her face drawn and her eyes dark as she looked each and everyone of them in the eye. Even Aiden.

"Are you still doing drugs, Ashley?"

Raife was unreadable as he spoke, his face for once not expressive and alive as Spencer knew it, but closed and cautious. With bated breath Spencer watched father and daughter stare at each other.

"I've been clean for four years, give or a take a few weeks. And to answer Aiden's question, no, I haven't run out of money. Well, I blew through the money you had given me, yes, but it happened a long time ago as you know. I put myself through college regardless and I'm doing okay now. It's not why I'm back."

Spencer knew with certainty, a fact that she hated, that Ashley wasn't lying, because as much as this was a different woman sitting in this room from the girl she had known, there were elements that would never change about her. Her inability to lie without giving herself away to Spencer was one of them, she just knew that.

"I know, I've been keeping tabs on you since you left, but I wanted to hear it from your own mouth. It's...it's good to hear your voice, Ashley. It's good to have you home, it's where you belong. I just hope you realize that to now and that you understand why I did what I did back then."

For some reason, Spencer got the feeling that Ashley and Raife were having a conversation about something completely different that what was being said. It was in the way Ashley cut her eyes to Spencer for just a second, in the small nod she gave her father when she looked back at him and he smiled slightly.

"You did the right thing back then, I just couldn't see it. But I'm back now, I want to make good. I'm ready to be what you always knew I could be, I'm ready to...I'm just ready for all the things I wasn't ready for back then."

Another moment of silence passed as father and daughter stared at each other, as Raife seemed to read whatever message Spencer was sure was hidden in Ashley's words, before he smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that, Ashley, very glad. I never wanted to hurt you the way I did, but..."

Ashley cut him off with a wave of her hand, a gentle smile.

"It was necessary, I know that now. It's called tough love for a reason, so please don't feel guilty. I'm not here to blame anyone, because we both know the blame lay with me."

Spencer was rooted to the spot, the open and frank look on Ashley's face astounding enough, but to hear the girl so easily take the blame for everything that happened? That was surprising beyond belief, because Ashley had hated to admit defeat in any way, shape or form. She had hated to be proven wrong, or to apologize, even with Spencer herself back then.

Finally she had to accept, as angry as she was with the girl that had taken her virginity and not bothered to stick around afterwards, that that girl was gone. The Ashley before her was a different person, was someone she didn't know at all.

It didn't make the anger go away though.

"Well, I don't need to hear more than that, really. This has always been your home Ashley and you're welcome here as far as I'm concerned."

With that he stood up and opened his arms, as oblivious to the outraged ranting of both Christine and Aiden, as Spencer was. She was too intent on watching the quiet tears in Ashley's eyes, on the quivering smile on her face, to notice it. When father and daughter embraced, Spencer found herself blinking back tears at the obvious relief in Ashley's eyes as she met Spencer's over her father's shoulder.

With a sinking feeling in her gut and her heart beating a fast rhythm against her chest, Spencer resolved herself to the fact that Ashley Davies seemed to back in her life for good.

- - -

**So this was the first chapter with a flashback and I'd like to hear what you thought. Should I keep doing that, or not?**

**Also I know the family confrontation seemed short, but there's more coming with that, I was simply too lazy to go on! Sorry:)**


	4. I don't love you like I did, yesterday

**Once again I'd just like to thank everyone that's reading and reviewing this story. It means a lot to me, because this is pretty much my favorite fic of the bunch I've currently got running. So yeah, it's nice to know you guys are on board for this one!**

**So I've read the reviews both here and on the other site and the general consensus is that the flashbacks can stay, just not in every update. So that's what I'll be doing. I figure I can maybe use the flashbacks to give a bit more information about the things Spencer doesn't know, seeing as the story is written from her POV alone. There'll be more of that later though, just wanted to say thanks to those that shared their opinion on the subject;)**

The Prodigal Daughter

Chapter 4: I don't love you (like I did yesterday).

"This is nonsense, Raife! This is absolutely unacceptable and I won't allow it, I simply won't!"

Christine's ranting had finally reached a decimal level that simply couldn't be ignored and Spencer found herself frowning at the woman. Ashley had hurt them all, that was true enough, but Christine was her mother. What kind of a woman would stand there and basically shout from the top of her lungs that she didn't want her own daughter in her house?

The scarier question though, was what had Ashley done to make her mother react that way?

Spencer didn't know the answer to that one, but it was clear that tonight wasn't the night for everything to come into the open. It was blatant from the tears streaming down Kyla's face, from Raife's tired expression and from Ashley's own pained expression, that no one was ready for this conversation.

"Look, I think we all know there's a lot we need to discuss, but maybe it would be better if we do it in the morning? Everyone is worked up right now and things are being said in the heat of the moment, things that we might regret later." Spencer made a point of glaring at Christine, hoping her words would sink in and shame the woman into keeping her mouth shut for a few minutes. "So how about we all take a breather and let it go for tonight?"

She directed her last question to Raife, seeking his approval and finding it in his relieved blue eyes. They both knew that if they let things go on it would end up with Christine in hysterics and Aiden fueling the fire for the hell of it.

"I think that'll be best, Spence." Then he turned to Ashley, his face softening and Spencer couldn't not see how quietly happy he was to have her next to him. Ashley had always been Raife's favorite, the girl that had his voice and charm, the one that was most like him. "So how about we get you settled in your old room and pick this up in the morning?"

Ashley seemed to hesitate, her eyes glancing over Kyla as she sat silently sniffing on the couch, her face a picture of anger and resentment as Aiden glowered in the corner next to a red faced Christine.

"Actually, I think I might just book myself into a hotel. I mean I don't want to just..." She trailed off here, her voice soft as she looked down at her feet. "I want to ease into things, you know? I don't think it's the best thing if I just move back in before we all have a chance to talk and work some things out."

Spencer once again found herself looking at Ashley and marveling at the difference so obvious in the woman. Gone was the impulsive nature, the leap before looking attitude that had once been synonymous with the name Ashley Davies, and in it's place was a woman who seemed to think carefully before speaking, who seemed to ooze caution as she stood and stared at her scuffed shoes.

"I can understand that, I really can, but I don't want you booking into a hotel. I don't want to risk the press getting a tip off that Ashley Davies is back in town and then swarming us for the next few days. I'd feel a thousand times better if you stayed with Spencer rather, then I know you're in good hands."

Spencer wasn't sure who was more shocked at the suggestion, herself or Ashley. As it was she found her self sputtering while Ashley frowned and shook her head.

"I don't know, Dad, I don't think it's fair to dump this on Spencer. Besides the press won't be a problem, I'll just check into a motel or something, no one will even notice me."

Ashley seemed to shuffle nervously, her eyes meeting Spencer's fleetingly as if in silent apology for dragging her into this, because they both knew that what Raife Davies wanted, he got. If he wanted Ashley to stay with Spencer, that was probably how things would go. The thought made Spencer's chest clench with panic and she made a concerted effort to steady her breathing and calm down.

"I'm not arguing about this, Ashley, this is what I want and I think you owe me that much, don't you?"

It was a low blow really, using Ashley's obvious guilt to get her to agree, but it was affective. Ashley immediately flinched and then nodded her head, her face pale as she looked back at her father.

"I owe you more than that, we both know that, so yes, if Spencer doesn't mind, I'll stay with her tonight."

Raife didn't bother confirming things with Spencer, he just nodded his head and turned back to the rest of the room.

"It's settled then, we'll all take some time to think things through tonight and then we'll meet back here for breakfast and talk. And this time I'm not interested in theatrics and tears, I want us to sit and have an actual conversation."

With that he turned and strode towards the door, only sparing a glance at Spencer and motioning for her to follow him, which she immediately did. Spencer found herself squeezing Ashley's forearm briefly as she stepped past her, unable to give herself a reasonable explanation for the action other than Ashley looking terrified at the idea of staying behind in a room full of people that seemingly hated her guts.

As angry as Spencer was, she wasn't heartless. For the first nineteen years of her life, Ashley Davies had been her best friend and despite how things had ended nine years before, a part of her was still the little gap tooth girl that pinkie swore that she'd always be there for her, no matter what. She wasn't happy about it, but her conscious wouldn't allow her to do anything else.

When she found herself in Raife's office with the door closed behind them, she turned questioning eyes towards the man.

"I know, Spence, I know. It wasn't fair of me to ask you to take her in for the night, but I can't take the chance of her getting spooked and running away again. I know we've never really talked about this and that when she left, she hurt us both, but she's my daughter, Spencer. She's my daughter and I love her regardless of what happened in the past. If she wants to make good, God knows I'm going to give her every opportunity to do that, but I can't do that alone."

He was quiet for a moment and for the first time ever, Spencer saw the troubled father that hid behind the jovial smile and boyish attitude he usually sported. There was hurt in his eyes, hurt and regret and Spencer couldn't ignore it as much as she tried. He was the closest thing to a father that she had left and she loved him as such, but she prayed that he wasn't going to ask her what she knew he was.

"I need your help, Spence. In my own way I failed her years ago, but I want to make up for that today, but I can't if she's not here. So will you help me? Not just tonight, but for however long it takes to put my family back together again?"

The walls were closing in on Spencer as she shut her eyes, as she absorbed the hint of desperation in Raife's voice. She couldn't say no to him, she knew that, but what was this going to cost her? She wasn't ready to face feelings she had buried deeply away, wasn't ready to face what she and Ashley had done that night and what it meant.

The first few months after Ashley left, Spencer had been a mess. Her heart was broken and she had been betrayed, but worse than all those feelings was how badly she had missed Ashley. In the end, for the sake of self preservation, she simply shut that part of her down, the part that had always belonged to Ashley. Now Ashley was back and Raife was asking her for help and Spencer found herself battling to keep old resentment and anger at bay.

Worse than all of that though, was the very small part of her that had been happy to see Ashley for just a second or two.

"I'll help, but I'm not doing it for her, I'm doing it for you, are we clear on that?"

If Raife didn't understand her need to clarify that, he was wise enough to not show it and just nodded his head. There wasn't more to say after that and Spencer found herself minutes later back in the now almost deserted lounge.

Kyla was missing as was Christine and Aiden, but that wasn't any great loss in Spencer's opinion. The only people left were a babbling Madison and a quiet Ashley.

"...and then after the will I finally knew who my father was, which is how I ended up here. Things were a little crazy at first, but after a while I settled in as best I could. Kyla's great and so's Spencer, but Aiden and Christine still treat me like shit. I'm pretty much not getting my hopes up that that's going to change anytime soon though."

Ashley seemed rather shell shocked as she blinked slowly while watching her half sister, her mouth a little slack as she nodded dazedly.

"Okay...uhm..."

Madison could be a little much sometimes, what with her inability to be subtle about anything and the fact that she was for the most part pretty self involved, but in the best possible way really. She was after all sitting there and talking Ashley's ear off, regardless of the fact that Ashley's appearance had affected the rest of the family so much and simply intent on making her own connection with the last of her long lost siblings.

"So are you back for good? And how badly did you fuck up exactly? I mean the only person really seeming to have her panties in a twist is Christine...and Aiden, but he's panties are permanently twisted about something. I think he's got Daddy issues or he could just be a bastard, haven't decided yet. Do you want to maybe have lunch or something tomorrow with me? There's this really great cafe that have the best subs this side of..."

Ashley was blinking rapidly at this point, the way Madison changed direction with bullet speed enough to spin anyone's head.

"Sorry for interrupting, Maddie, but I think Ashley and I should head out. I've had a long day and I'm wiped, so..."

She trailed off as Madison nodded her head and got up, stepping up and hugging Spencer close to her for a second or two.

"Sure, no problem, I mean you'll be back in the morning and then I can start drilling Ashley for more information."

Ashley's eyebrows shot up and she bit her lip slightly, apparently already fearing the inquisition that obviously awaited her in the morning. Oblivious of the look, Madison turned and pulled Ashley in for a hug as well before strutting out of the room.

"So...that's my sister, huh?"

Spencer gave a small smile, incapable of not doing that when Madison was mentioned and nodded, her voice tinged with a bit of humor when she finally spoke.

"That's your sister."

For a few seconds they just looked at each other, Spencer for the second time taking a good look at the face before her, noting that even though Ashley was still beautiful, time hadn't been all that kind. There were the beginnings of crow's feet around her eyes and hard lines around the firm mouth and a quiet kind of tiredness in her eyes that Spencer guessed would never go away, no matter how many hours she slept.

Whatever happened in the four years before Ashley sobered herself up had taken a toll on the woman, aging her in a subtle way. Spencer didn't want to think about that now though, she just wished for her bed and for the oblivion she would find in it.

"Come on, we better get going, it's late."

Ashley seemed like she wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded her head and followed Spencer down the stairs of her childhood home. Spencer watched as she picked up the duffel bag she had apparently left by the door and then they made their way outside. The air was surprisingly cool against Spencer's skin and goosebumps spread over her exposed forearms by the time they reached her sensible Volvo.

They were both settled inside, Ashley's duffel next to Spencer's bag and briefcase on the back seat, when Ashley finally broke the silence between them.

"I really didn't mean for you to get stuck with me for the night."

Spencer shrugged, her eyes firmly on the traffic before her as she answered.

"It's not that big of a deal."

And with that she shut any chance of conversation down by switching on the radio loudly and concentrating on the road. Ashley seemed to accept it and spent the rest of the drive staring out of the window, her face a study of colors as light flickered across it from streetlights and shop windows they passed by.

Half an hour later, with Coldplay singing in the background, Spencer pulled up in front of her house. It was nestled quietly between trees and in the background you could spot the ocean and silvery sand glowing in the moonlight. She loved the solitary feeling that surrounded her house, the way it seemed like it stood miles away from any other home and gave her peace and quiet she very rarely experienced during her working day.

She wasn't sure, sitting there in her car with Ashley next to her, if she was ready to open the doors and have that feeling taken away from her because of the other woman's presence. This was the one place that held no memories of Ashley, that had been completely untouched by both the sadness and joy that she had brought to Spencer's life in the past.

Yet she had promised Raife, so there was nothing she could do about it now. With a soft sigh she straitened her shoulders and pushed her car door open.

"Let's get inside then."

She could smell the ocean as she stood and waited for Ashley to collect her duffel, could hear waves crashing far away on the shore and let the sound soothe her to an extent. So when Ashley stood in front of her she was able to give a half smile and made her way to her front door, quickly unlocking it and switching off the alarm.

She didn't bother switching on any of the lights, just lead Ashley directly to her guest bedroom in the muted darkness. Once there she finally switched on the bedroom light, turning to Ashley and motioning to a door off to the left.

"Bathroom's in there if you need it and I'm just up the hall to the left if there's anything else."

She knew she was being somewhat rude, but she was suddenly bone tired and playing the polite hostess was not high on her priorities. So she was intent on just walking out right then, but a cool hand against her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

"We're not going to talk?"

Ashley looked like she was expecting more than just a talk, like maybe she was expecting more shouting and accusations, but Spencer was too tired to do that, even if it's what Ashley deserved.

"No."

Ashley's hand dropped away and she swallowed visibly, her shoulders seeming to sag as her eyes found the toes of her shoes again.

"There's nothing you want to say to me? Nothing you want to ask?"

There was a thousand questions that sprung to mind, a thousand hurts that needed explaining, but Spencer found herself overwhelmed by it all. She fought tears in that moment, fought becoming that girl that woke up alone in a cold bed, confused and naked and hurting. She was over it, had been for years and she had no interest in dragging it all to the surface again, yet there she stood, quivering with old grief and unshed tears burning in her eyes.

"Of course there is!" It was a gruff whisper, Spencer's voice strained as her hands clenched by her side and she finally looked into Ashley's eyes. "But what's the point? All the answers are going to be nine years too late."

Ashley flinched away from the accusation and stood in the middle of the room, her shoulders seeming to heave with every heavy breath she dragged into her lungs before she spoke.

"Spence..."

But Spencer didn't want to hear her apology, didn't want to hear her neat little explanation right now. Not when compassion for someone she used to love was warring with anger towards that same person. Not when she wasn't completely sure if she wanted to tell Ashley to go to hell or hug her and tell her how good it was to see her, because God knew it was.

As she stood in that room, with Ashley's still familiar smell invading her and brown eyes looking into her own with nothing but regret, Spencer felt so many different things all at once. She had managed to hold it together back at the Davies' house, had easily slipped into her professional facade, but in her own house her reserves had left her.

She felt vulnerable, young even, as she stood and stared into Ashley's face.

"No, Ashley, _no_. Nothing you say to me tonight is going to change anything, is going to change the fact that you left me..."

Spencer swallowed hard, throat muscles sore as she worked her emotion down. She wasn't going to cry, she promised herself, not over something that had happened so long ago. She didn't want to give Ashley that kind of power.

"Just tell me one thing." She hesitated as a shiver ran up her spine and she shut her eyes, unable to look at Ashley in that moment. "Did you ever really love me?"

For the longest time there was only quiet as an answer, but then a hand lay itself against her cheek and her eyes opened to see Ashley standing before her, a small smile on her face and a wet shimmer in her eyes.

"Every day of my life, Spence, I've loved you." A brush of a thumb against her cheek, a small nod. "Every day."

Then Spencer shuddered and cried, her eyes closing tightly as she leaned into the hand against her face for just a second before pulling away.

"I wish I could say the same."

With a last look at the image of Ashley's pale, pained face, Spencer finally stepped out of the room and left.

- - -

**So Spencer is finally a mess, but that was to be expected at some point, right? **

**Anyway, this is the part where I ask you to comment and give your opinion on how I'm doing so far. I hope you liked it, but if you didn't, I won't take offense if you say so. (That's a lie though, I'll curl into a ball and cry my eyes out, so be gentle!)**


	5. The scientist

**Right, an update. I'm pretty much sick of SY: The Reunion, so I'm trying my hand at this story again, simply because I actually _like_ this one. Hopefully some of you still remember this and don't bite my head off for leaving it this long without an update! **

**To those that read and reviewed, I'm always grateful and happy to hear from you guys. Thanks for taking the time to do it!**

The Prodigal Daughter:

Chapter 5: The scientist.

_**Nine years ago...**_

_Spencer woke with a pleasant heaviness in her limbs, a warmth in her chest and the faint suspicion that she had possibly had the greatest dream in the history of all mankind. For a second or two she let herself recall all of the sensations, the feel and smell and taste of bare skin under her lips and hands. It brought a smile to her face, a drowsy lift that curved her cheeks and softened the expression in her half lidded eyes even more. _

_It was around this time that she realized she wasn't wearing her usual pajamas, or any other pajamas for that matter. She was naked. And alone. The realization had her sitting up quickly, her arms naturally coming up to cover her nakedness as she stared at the room around her. Her clothes were piled haphazardly on the floor, her books and papers scattered similarly. _

_It hadn't been a dream, that much was clear, but what Spencer couldn't understand was the fact that Ashley was missing from her bed then. She could still make out the lingering scent of her perfume, could see the subtle imprint of another body on her sheets and pillow, but there was no other proof. Ashley's clothes were gone, the clutch bag she had come in with and dropped on the floor by the door missing._

_Slowly, confusion making her mind muddy and murky, she stood and slipped her abandoned shirt over her head. Her eyes trailed over her desk, idly searching for a note, anything really, that would explain Ashley's absence, because her mind couldn't quite comprehend the fact that after what had happened the night before, she was really waking up alone. _

_She had lost her virginity. To her best friend. Who was a girl. And now she woke up alone._

_Spencer found herself not bothered about the first three facts at all, but that last one was causing a painful constriction in her chest. Where was Ashley? Why did she leave? Something in the pit of Spencer's stomach told her that the girl hadn't just gone for coffee, or to buy them breakfast. No, there was a little voice in the back of her head telling her that Ashley had got up and sneaked out of her room with no intention of coming back and facing Spencer._

_Still she found herself sitting in the same spot an hour later, hope that Ashley was coming back pretty much crushed by that time. Her movements were stiff and painful when she finally stood up, when she went to take a shower and brush her teeth. She did this quickly, her body taking over automatically and rushing her through her morning routine. She wasn't sure how she got to the Davies mansion as quickly as she did, but it felt like she had simply blinked her eyes once and the building appeared before her. _

_She didn't bother announcing herself, simply keyed in the code at the gate and drove up the graveled driveway. The housekeeper, a small, timid woman from one of the more obscure eastern European countries, opened the door to her and couldn't meet her eyes for some reason. It sent a rather discomforting shiver down Spencer's back and her breath came just a tad harder than it should as her heart finally started pounding with dread. _

_It didn't take her long to find a member of the family, having spotted Christine in the lounge, a far off expression on her face as she sat sipping her colorless drink._

"_Uhm, hi Mrs Davies, is Ashley home by any chance?"_

_The woman jerked at the sound of Spencer's voice, her drink splashing over her hand as she moved her eyes coldly over the visibly tense girl in her doorway._

"_Don't say her name. I don't want to ever hear that whore's name spoken in this house again, she's dead to me, gone, forgotten. Do you understand me?"_

_Christine's voice was calm and reasonable, like she was parting with a small piece of gossip or commenting on the weather. Spencer felt her stomach roll, felt sweat coldly bloom across her skin and tasted fear in the back of her throat. _

"_No, no I don't think I understand you. I...where is she? I want to speak with her, she was upset last night and we..."_

_Christine cut her off, a hand elegantly raised and waived her way as she took another sip of her drink. The woman was so calm, so matter of fact in the face of Spencer's obvious distress, and it drove the younger girl mad. Spencer was scared now, confused, and she just wanted to see Ashley, just wanted to be reassured by the sight of her friend. _

"_She's gone you little fool. She's left, run off like a guilty dog with her tail between her legs. She's done what damage she could, she's taken everything I've had that mattered worth a damn and dirtied it. Now she's gone and I'm so happy, I'm _so_ happy that I wont have to look into her face and be faced with all that filth anymore."_

_Spencer didn't stay and comment, didn't let her shock at such hatred stop her from her goal. She just wanted to see Ashley, just wanted to stop the shuddering inside herself and hold the girl, feel her safely pressed against her own body. So she flew down the hallway, down the familiar path that led to Ashley's room and swung open the door._

_Clothes were strewn about, a dresser stood with an empty drawer open, and in the middle of the chaos sat Raife Davies on his daughter's unmade bed, his head in his hands._

"_Where is she?"_

_Her voice was small and scared in the silence of the room, her eyes already narrowed and tearing up._

"_She's gone. I don't...I tried to stop her from making my mistakes, but...she's gone."_

_And it was only then that Spencer finally understood what had happened the night before, understood that while she was finding herself, Ashley had been simply trying to forget herself. _

_It was in that instant that her heart broke, mere hours after it truly started beating to begin with._

_She joined Raife on the bed then, bent her head and wept. _

**Present day...**

Spencer woke with a crook in her neck and sheets haphazardly tangled around her body. She blinked painfully, the rising sun stinging her tired eyes as she sat up, groaned, and cursed the fitful night she'd spent in and out of sleep. She rolled over onto her back and mentally started noting what she had to get done in the next sixteen hours or so.

There was the Waterman Tower of course, which meant meetings with various companies that had offices based in the building as well as meetings with Gerald Kline, the head of the accounting department who was probably going to have a fit over the extra seventeen million that Spencer allowed Raife to use in order to buy the building off Karl Bruan.

Then there was the quarterly board meeting at the end of the month that she had to prepare for, reports that needed to be read as well as contracts that needed to be gone over with a fine tooth comb. Spencer sighed, lay back and then shot upright again when sounds from within her usually quiet house caught her attention. She was halfway reaching for the baseball bat she kept under her bed when it occurred to her that she wasn't being robbed.

Ashley.

Ashley was back, and more importantly right at that second, she was in Spencer's house. So Spencer groaned for the second time since waking and simply rolled out of bed. It was just before six, meaning there was at least another two hours or so before they would have to leave for the 'family' breakfast. Not wanting to spend that time making awkward small talk or sitting in uncomfortable silence, Spencer decided to take a morning run.

She brushed her teeth with little enthusiasm and splashed her face with cold water, quickly changing into a worn t-shirt and some old shorts. When she trotted down the hall she noticed that Ashley's door was open and the room empty. For a second or two a quick jab of fear was felt, worry that the noise she heard was Ashley sneaking away again, but then the woman came barefoot out of the adjoining bathroom, running shoes in hand. Spencer released a slow, relieved breath.

"Oh, hi."

Spencer stood silently for a second, taking in the sight of tanned legs and bare arms, of brown eyes fraught with caution and fear. Then she nodded in greeting and pointed to the shoes.

"Going for a run?"

Ashley nodded, pointing right back at Spencer and motioning to her own outfit.

"You?"

Spencer just nodded again, not issuing the invitation that Ashley was obviously waiting for. So they stared at each other for a few more seconds, then Spencer led the way to her back door. When they were both outside, the slight breeze shifting Ashley's curly hair across her face, Spencer turned and pointed.

"I'm going that way."

Ashley shuffled her feet, her chin dropping down onto her chest as she contemplated the wood of the deck they were standing on.

"Right. Guess I'm going that way then."

She pointed in the opposite direction than Spencer had and for a fleeting second Spencer felt disappointment shoot through her. Only for a second though.

"Right."

And then they both set off in on their chosen paths. Spencer felt the strain of running on the beach, her feet sinking slightly into the wet sand as she watched the water push up to within an inch of where her feet hit the ground. She ignored the burning of her calves and concentrated on the smell of the ocean, the feel of the light spray the wind carried as it landed on her sweating skin.

And then also on the sound of feet pounding speedily down on the surf behind her. When she looked back it was to see Ashley sprinting her way, hair trailing behind her in a mass of curls, muscles at play in her thighs as she went. When she pulled up next to Spencer, she gave a small smile and slowed down, matching their pace.

"I thought you were going that way."

Spencer helpfully pointed over her shoulder, indicating in the opposite direction from where they were heading. Ashley gave a quick look over her shoulder and shrugged, never losing pace.

"Yeah, that way wasn't working for me."

Spencer was quiet for a second, contemplating that as she watched seagulls swoop down and attack a harmless piece of seaweed.

"Ran into a dog?"

Ashley snorted and spared Spencer a glance, making the woman feel a twinge of guilt over not warning her of Mr Stewart's Doberman, Bambi, who on occasion escaped the confines of his back yard.

"That thing wasn't a dog, it was a demon thrown out of hell 'cos it was scaring Satan!" Ashley was silent then for a second as she stared down at her shorts. "I may have possibly peed my pants."

Spencer couldn't really help it, the burst of laughter that escaped her. This was a familiar Ashley, one who made her smile and could be silly without much effort, one that always seemed to somehow fit into Spencer's life. Except for the nine years that she had disappeared from it. Spencer abruptly stopped laughing and picked up the speed, not sure if she was trying to outrun her memories of Ashley or simply the woman herself.

After an hour of silent running Spencer found herself back at home, her skin slick and her muscles shuddering with strain, while Ashley was bent over, hands on knees, dragging air raggedly into her lungs. Hair clung wetly to the side of her neck, perspiration shining on her exposed skin, and Spencer felt momentarily trapped in a memory. She remembered pressing her mouth to the hollow of that neck, remembered tasting skin and salt, remembered loving the combination on her tongue.

She blushed then, her over heated skin flaming even redder as she looked away, as she tried her best to ignore her body's reaction. Instead she made herself remember the night before, the things she said to Ashley and the look on her face as she said it. She had hurt Ashley, something that she hadn't wanted to do despite what happened in the past, and after the initial satisfaction had faded she'd felt guilty for doing it. Despite her interaction with people like Aiden and Karl Braun, she wasn't a mean spirited person.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said last night. It was uncalled for."

Ashley straightened up at this, her mouth firmly set as as she shook her head and looked Spencer straight in the eye.

"Don't apologize to me, Spencer. If you hurt me last night, it's because you had every right to do it, it's because everything you said was true. I came back to say I'm sorry, not to hear it from anybody else."

Her jaw was set as she spoke, her eyes level on Spencer the whole time and Spencer found herself not doubting for a second that she meant it.

It really only made her feel more guilty for what she'd said, as illogical as that might seem, because she remembered still the friend who'd held her when she cried over her parents divorce, who brought her only the red M&M's when she got the chicken pox, because Ashley knew Spencer thought they tasted better than any of the other colors, and got sick herself a week later. And standing in front of Ashley know, looking into her eyes, she could only see that girl, couldn't for the life of her spot the person who had left her and broke her heart.

The inability to do that pissed Spencer off on top of the misplaced guilt, because even if Spencer couldn't see her as that girl, she sure as hell was. Nine years was a long time to carry hurt deep down inside and Spencer simply couldn't let go of it that easily.

"Fine, then I won't apologize." Spencer found herself walking up the steps, but stopped and turned back towards Ashley once again. "Just one thing, what do expect from all of this? From me?"

The question seemed to catch Ashley off guard, because it took her a couple of seconds before she spoke, her eyebrows drawing together in concentration as she did so.

"Not a lot really. I'm hoping for your forgiveness, your friendship, but I'm not expecting it. I just...I just know I needed to let the people I love know I was sorry for hurting them, whether they forgive me for doing it or not isn't really the issue right now."

Spencer nodded, respecting Ashley for her honesty, but still unwilling to let her guard down.

"Okay, I can understand that, but why now? Why not four years ago when you got yourself cleaned up?"

Ashley froze, her breathing actually visibly pausing and her body completely still for a second, as Spencer watched in confusion. There was a look on her face, something between fear and absolute regret, that made Spencer's breathing pick up for some reason. Then Ashley moved, turned herself away as she stared at the ocean behind them.

"Because four years ago I thought I had all the time in the world to make this right, but since then I've come to appreciate the fact that tomorrow, the future, isn't a given, it's a gift. And one shouldn't take a gift like that for granted, right?"

Spencer found herself once again understanding what Ashley said, but it still didn't exactly explain the motivation behind it all to her. It simply left her feeling vaguely unsettled, like there was something beneath the surface of those words that she was missing.

"No, no I guess not, but I'm still not sure I completely understand."

Spencer watched as Ashley shrugged at that, as she finally turned back to Spencer and gave a small, lopsided smile.

"Well, no, maybe you don't, but that's not really important right now, is it? Isn't the important thing that I'm here _now_, that I'm trying?"

She didn't wait for an answer though, she simply stepped past Spencer and mumbled something about taking a shower and disappeared into the house, leaving Spencer on the steps still angry and only slightly less confused.

- - -

_Come up to meet you,  
Tell you I'm sorry,  
You don't know how lovely you are._

I had to find you,  
Tell you I need you,  
Tell you I set you apart.

Tell me your secrets,  
And ask me your questions,  
Oh let's go back to the start.

_-The scientist (Coldplay)_

**Right, so I hope you liked that. This was once again mostly set up, but I've got a lot of stuff planned for this fic and I need to get everything in place to build up the story line. So please bare with me on these chapter where it doesn't seem like much happens, 'cos stuff will make a bit more sense later, I promise!**


	6. Everybody hurts, sometimes

**I'm not sure anyone still remembers this fic, but to the few who do, I hope you enjoy. This chapter is pretty dialogue heavy, something I haven't done since back in the day with my first fic The Wedding, so if it's a bit...clumsy, please excuse me.**

**Also, I've had the worst writer's block in history these last few months, so if this chapter is a little heavy on information and light on character reaction, bare with me. I'm dumping the information in this chapter and it'll only be dealt with in later chapters, so I guess it's set-up then!**

**And before I forget, thank you for all the encouragement and reviews, I really appreciate your input. **

The Prodigal Daughter

Chapter 6: Everybody hurts, sometimes.

_**Six months ago...**_

"_..._ashes to ashes, dust to dust_..." _

_Ashley flinched at the dull thud of earth hitting the casket that accompanied the words from the solemn minister, her face a study of contained devastation. _

"_..._who died, was buried, and rose again for us_..."_

_A single tear fell, met the earth she clutched in her hand, mingled and muddied it. It hurt to breath, to drag air into her lungs, her sorrow so achingly acute that she wondered if she would ever draw breath again, would ever have the strength to release the earth in her hand. _

"_..._to Him be glory forever. Amen._"_

_A hand on her shoulder, the minister's firm yet somehow gentle grasp, finally had her unclench her white knuckled fingers, had a last dull thud echo through the sunlit cemetery. She took a breath, held it, then turned away. She couldn't look, couldn't listen, couldn't stand there and watch them bury the person she had loved most in her life. _

_As she walked the minister's prayer seemed to mock her, seemed to follow her long after she left the cemetery. When she finally found somewhere to stop, to sit her weary body down, she felt the warm burn of tears sting her eyes, the words still ringing in her ears. That was when she ordered the drink from the weary bartender._

"Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;_"_

_The liquid was a smooth amber, it's scent potent and familiar when he placed the glass in front of her. Ashley almost wept at the simple sight of it._

"thy kingdom come;

thy will be done;

on earth as it is in heaven."

_She raised the glass halfway to her lips, remembered the blissful ignorance it's bottom had always held for her, remembered a place where hurt and guilt couldn't touch her._

"Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us."

_The rim was cool against her quivering lips, the urge to throw her head back and swallow so strong it hurt almost as much as the thought of going back to her empty apartment, as facing life without her Katie, did._

"And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil."

_The glass shattered in her hand, cut into skin and blood ran freely down her arm. She didn't feel the sting of the alcohol against her wound, didn't hear the bartender's alarmed questions. She simply watched as liquid stained the dark fabric of her shirt. _

"For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory,

for ever and ever."

_Then finally she closed her eyes and wept. Cried in a dingy bar, in the middle of the day, maybe a mile away from where her Katie, her daughter, had just been buried._

"Amen."

_She had lost everything. Again._

**Present day...**

Spencer watched as Kyla listlessly sipped her juice, nibbled on some egg and continued to completely ignore Ashley beside her. She didn't want to find it sad how Ashley kept trying to start up a conversation, how she simply smiled sadly every time she was shot down. If Ashley wanted to keep bashing her head against a brick wall then Spencer wouldn't stand in her way. She didn't want to at least, but for some reason she found herself intervening anyway.

"I guess you don't know this Ashley, but Kyla's heading to Yale in a few months. She got early acceptance."

Spencer couldn't help but smile at Ashley's immediate joy at hearing this, the way her eyes practically lit up as she grinned at the young girl.

"Yale? That's great Kyla, I'm so proud of you. You must have worked really hard to get in so early."

For a moment it seemed as if Kyla would just keep on ignoring Ashley, but Spencer knew the girl was pretty ecstatic about getting into Yale and knew she wouldn't be able to pass by an opportunity to talk about it.

"Uhm...yeah, it wasn't easy, but I had a lot of help. I mean Spencer's a great tutor and I had some great recommendations from my teachers and stuff..."

Spencer was about to cut her off and remind Kyla of all the extra credit projects she did, the fact that she was class president and ran an outreach project, but the girl was already blushing and she didn't want to embarrass her. For all her naivety and the seemingly easy way she had of accomplishing almost everything she did, Kyla worked hard and never depended on her father's name or their money for anything.

"Well, like I said, I'm proud of you."

Any other conversation was halted when Raife and Christine entered the room, Aiden slithering in behind them. Ashley tensed up immediately, her face closing down completely as she met her mother's eyes. Spencer could practically feel the older woman's hatred, the hair at the back of her neck actually raising a little at the look that Christine gave her own daughter.

"Morning Mr Davies."

Spencer watched as Raife took a seat at the head of the table, his face seemingly drawn and tired. She had no doubt that Christine had probably kept him up half the night with her ranting and raving.

"Morning girls. I see you've all helped yourself to some breakfast, so as soon as Madison makes an appearance I guess we can get this show on the road."

With her usual impeccable sense of timing, Madison just then strolled into the room still wearing her pajamas. She gave Spencer a disgruntled smile and dropped into the chair beside her, her dark head landing with a thump on Spencer's shoulder.

"I hate mornings."

Spencer snorted and patted her head, oblivious to Ashley's suddenly very interested gaze on them.

"It's past nine, Maddie. Most people have been up for a couple of hours already."

Madison barely lifted her head to glare at her, managing to hold the look for no more then a beat before she rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, just be quiet. You're so obviously a morning person, it's almost sickening."

Spencer just smiled and took a sip of her own coffee, catching Ashley's rather calculating look and holding it questioningly for a second. Then Ashley ducked her head down and silence fell in the room, tension bleeding back into the situation with Spencer unsure of how to stop it.

"Why did you leave?"

It was Madison's matter of fact question that finally broke the silence, that had Ashley shifting uncomfortably in her seat and Christine flush with anger. Spencer wanted to be mad at Madison for asking such a direct question, for touching on a subject that was still obviously a raw nerve for both Ashley and her parents, but God knew she was curious to know the answer herself.

"I...I did something that..." Ashley swallowed and looked around the room, like she was searching for the words. "Well, if I'm honest, I didn't just do _some_ thing, I did _many_ things that led to me leaving..."

Christine snorted and slammed her glass down, liquid that Spencer firmly suspected to be vodka splashing all over the table.

"You were a drunken slut that dragged this family's name through the mud! You're damned well right when you say you didn't just do one thing, because most of your life was spent trying to ruin ours! You're a remorseless, morally degenerate..."

Spencer had had enough of Christine's pointless rant, of Ashley's suddenly stricken face. So she slammed down her own cup, pinned Christine down with a hard glare until the woman grudgingly shut her mouth.

"We had enough screaming and hysterics last night, so I suggest we move on from pointless name calling and try to actually move forward from here. Ashley made mistakes, that's true, and as much as we would all like to sit around and call her on every little thing she ever did to any of us, it's not going to change anything."

Spencer knew that she was being a hypocrite for saying that, knew that she too had questions and accusations that she wanted to hurl at Ashley, but the woman had been right that morning. Maybe the important thing, or at least the most important step here, was that she was back asking for forgiveness.

"Look, I'm angry too, but being angry isn't going to accomplish anything. She's a part of this family, no matter what she's done or said in the past and nothings going to change that. Does that mean I'm going to magically forgive her for everything? No, but it does mean I'm going to give her a chance to make it right, because everyone deserves that chance."

And Spencer hated the truth in her words, hated the fact that she knew she was going to give Ashley another chance, because a part of her would always love the girl Ashley had been before everything had gone to hell. Even as she sat there, even as anger and disappointment and unspoken words of resentment ate away at her stomach lining, she couldn't deny the very big part of her that was happy to simply be in the same room again as Ashley.

"I'm not sure I deserve it, Spencer, I really don't, but I know I want that chance. I know that I'll never forgive myself for what happened, but isn't there even a chance that you all can? I don't expect this to be easy or for it to happen over night, but I'm asking you to at least try."

There was silence once again as Kyla seemed to really consider both Ashley and Spencer's words, as Raife sat nodding his head in agreement and even Christine was uncharacteristically quiet. It was broken when Aiden leaned back in his chair and slowly clapped his hands.

"Wonderful performance, Ash! Such heartfelt words from you, but do you honestly think you can waltz back in here and with a few apologies and nice words simply make everything right? You were a junkie, you slept your way through half the town and advertised it at every available opportunity! You hurt everyone, lived your life oblivious to consequence and never thought about anyone but yourself and then to top it all off, you go and fuck your mother's best friend just to spite her. You broke up a marriage, you played with other people's lives to hurt your own mother. What kind of person does that?"

He stood up then, tossed his napkin onto the table carelessly.

"You're right when you say you don't deserve a second chance and I for one wont give you one, because I simply don't believe you're this little angel now. That you've come clean and want to make everything up to everyone and even if you were, I still think you deserve to be punished for what you did to us."

Spencer was still somewhat in shock as she watched Aiden walk out of the room without looking back, her mind still stuck on what he'd said about Ashley. She had known Ashley better than anyone else in the world once, had spent more time with her than she'd spent with her own family, but she couldn't say she had realized that Ashley had been in such a bad state back then. She'd known about the drinking and the almost dangerous promiscuity, but a junkie? Deliberately breaking up a marriage?

"I don't...you slept with Mark Dickson? That's why he's wife left him back then? Mark Dickson who must have been in his mid forties with two kids? You slept with him to hurt your..."

Spencer heard her own voice drift off, heard the incredulity laced through her words as she tried to grasp that the same girl who had done all that, was the girl she had loved so much once upon a time. To this day, despite what had happened between them, she had always believed that whatever had driven Ashley away had been a misunderstanding, maybe something out of Ashley's control that had made her so desperate. Never had she believed that it was something the girl had deliberately done.

"Yes, I did that. I did that and more, but God knows I've paid for that. I haven't walked out of this without baring any of the consequences, I can promise you that. I live with it everyday, with the knowledge that if I'd made different choices in my life..." Ashley's voice quivered here, an emotion Spencer couldn't name turning her warm brown eyes almost black. "I wouldn't have lost...I...she...I've paid the price, believe me, I've paid."

It was uncomfortable, the astounding amount of emotion that bled into the room with Ashley's words, the way the woman seemed to collapse into herself as misery washed over her. Spencer had watched Ashley handle her parents the day before with a certain calmness, a degree of reserve she had never seen in her before, but that was absolutely gone in this moment. The woman sitting before her was broken, was lost.

It scared Spencer, the desolation she sensed in Ashley. Even sitting across from her at the table she felt Ashley's desperation, her need for...something. She didn't understand it, didn't know how she knew that was what Ashley was feeling right then, but it was there. Kyla seemed to sense it too, because she leaned over and lay a hand over Ashley's arm, her face a picture of confusion as she stared at her sister.

"Uhm...are you alright?"

Before Ashley can even answer, though privately Spencer wonders if the woman is capable of uttering a single word right now, Madison starts to laugh.

"This is really priceless! You're all sitting here looking at Ashley like something the cat threw up on the carpet, meanwhile just last month you had Mark Dickson over for dinner. Now let me just get this straight here: You blamed Ashley for all of this when the guy she slept with, the adult who should have known better than sleeping with a _girl_, is pitied because his wife left him? Are you people mentally retarded? I mean I get it, she was pretty fucked up, but let me play Devil's Advocate here for a second. Why was she so fucked up? Why did she do it? Did you even ever bother to ask, or did you go right to the 'damn-her-to-hell' part?"

Christine couldn't look Madison in the eye, Spencer noted. The woman was looking down onto her spilled vodka and toying with her wedding ring, face slightly flushed with shame or anger. She waited for someone to say something, anything really, but the only audible noise was Ashley breathing in and out heavily.

Logically Spencer knew that Madison had made a very good point, but a part of her still balked at having the responsibility so easily removed from Ashley's shoulder's, because if so where would the blame lay? Did they all play their part in letting it happen? Did she herself turn a blind eye to Ashley's drug problem, because selfishly she was scared about what would happen if she did confront her? Did Christine really take the side of a man, a best friend, over her daughter and write her off without so much as a chance to explain herself? And would Raife, who had always seemed to understand Ashley the best, so easily let his daughter go?

"Don't try to blame them, Madison. As much as I appreciate you standing up for me here, at the end of the day _I_ did those things. I was young and angry and confused, sure, but I knew right from wrong and I still did it. I had people I could have turned to, people who would have helped me if I just asked, but I didn't. So don't lay the blame there, because this was all me."

Spencer felt a headache pound behind her eyes, felt stress and an unnamed emotion turn her stomach rather violently. It was all a little too much, everything just touching too many nerves right now for her and she wished she was at home, or on the beach running where it was just her and the sound of the ocean to calm her.

For once in her life she wished she didn't have to be the calm one, the one that kept the Davies from falling apart or killing each other. She wished she could just be Spencer Carlin, who was a little scared and a lot angry, but mostly confused and somewhere deep down inside maybe a little guilty even. She just wanted to leave really, to say that this wasn't her problem or her mess, but it wasn't that easy.

Because this was her problem, her mess, as much as it was the Davies' and she couldn't walk away. So she sat in her chair and watched Raife stand up and walk to his daughter, watched him drop to his knees beside her and pull her into a hug. Listened as his voice cracked as he spoke.

"No, Ashley, she's right. I'm your father and I knew you, hell, I'd been where you were, but I let you leave. I let you leave, because I thought it would be easier for everyone else and I didn't think of you. I didn't wonder if it was the easy thing for you, or the right thing, or if it would help you at the end of the day. I simply saw the ugliest part of myself reflected in your eyes and I was too scared to confront that. So I chose everyone else above you and I didn't help you. You called it tough love yesterday, said I'd done the right thing, but do you really believe that in your heart? Because I don't Ashley, I spent all of last night thinking about it and I just can't see it that way anymore. I let you down as much as you let me down, so I won't take the easy way out again. This is as much my fault as it is yours, so let me help you carry the burden, let me help you make things right. Come home and let's do this together, the way we should have in the first place."

With a sob that tore itself free from somewhere deep inside her chest, Ashley seemed to flow into her father's arms and cried like Spencer had never heard another person cry before. It had her biting her own lip, had her blinking back her own tears as she watched them together.

Only when she realized that maybe for once the Davies would be able to clean up their own mess for a change, did she get up and leave. She knew it was only a temporary reprieve for her, that things between herself and Ashley were still not anywhere near settled, but today wasn't about them. Today was about Ashley and her family. Tomorrow would have to be time enough for them...

- - -

**So there you go. I hope you liked it and as always if you didn't, let me know what you disliked. I'll keep using the flashbacks to shed a little light on the other characters as well, at least if you guys thought this one worked for Ashley. **

**So yeah, let me know okay?**


	7. Against all odds

**To all those that read and reviewed the last chapter, thank you very much! I can only hope most haven't given up on this story yet, because if this chapter and it's length is any indication, I'm pretty much over my case of writer's block!**

**So this is dedicated to any and all that can still actually remember this story! lol**

**The Prodigal Daughter**

**Chapter 7: Against all odds.**

"Now how did I know I would find you here?"

Spencer looked away from her monitor, eyes coming to rest on the casual form of Raife Davies leaning against her office doorway. She leaned back in her chair and cocked her head to the side, giving him a thoughtful look.

"Because you pay me to be here?"

Raife smiled, straightened up and ran a hand through his hair as he walked over to her desk and dropped down in the chair across from her.

"Never would have taken you for a smartass, Spence."

Spencer grinned at that, her eyebrows shooting to the heavens.

"Really? I thought that was why you hired me."

She expected another smile, maybe even a small grunt of laughter, but all she got was a soft sigh. Raife looked his age as he sat there, eyes a darker shade of blue than she was used to and a tired slope to his shoulders. She didn't like seeing him in this state, was too used to the carefree man she'd come to know so well in the last few months and as wrong as she knew it was, she blamed this on Ashley.

"So breakfast was interesting, don't you think?"

It was a loaded question, one that Spencer found herself hesitant to answer. Breakfast had been somewhat enlightening, she couldn't argue that, but she was still processing everything. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that the clear black and white picture she had of the events from nine years ago now seemed a bit fuzzy around the edges and sported some gray areas. As a lawyer, she hated gray areas. A gray area was something unknown, something that could come out of left field and knock you on your ass.

As a lawyer she dealt in facts. She dealt in certainties and had rules and laws to keep her world in order. Ashley was coming along and throwing everything into chaos and she had no structured approach to handling this, didn't have a set of rules and guidelines to follow here, and it left her feeling more than a little uneasy.

"Breakfast was..." She trailed off, remembering Ashley's face and voice, remembering the way the woman had seemed to crumble under whatever burden she was carrying. "Breakfast wasn't what I was expecting."

Raife seemed to take a moment to think that over, all the while settling his gaze on her firmly. She knew he was probably just lost in thought, but his intense stare still seemed to unsettle her somewhat.

"What did you expect, Spencer? Did you expect her to live up to every low expectation any of us ever set for her? Did you expect her to be the monster that Aiden described? Was whatever she did to you that horrible that you find her taking responsibility for her actions and trying to make amends _unexpected_?"

Spencer found herself shrinking back in her chair, Raife's sudden loud voice and harsh words catching her completely off guard. The man was practically shaking with anger, his ire flowing into the room and making the hair at the back of Spencer's neck rise.

"She was never as bad as any of us made her out to be, but her whole life she's had it hammered into her head that she was just like me, so she just gave up, didn't she? She gave up and made all my old mistakes, fought all my old demons, but she wasn't me! You saw her, Spencer, you were one of the few people I know saw her for who she was and yet here you are, doubting her like all the rest of us did. Don't do that, please, I can't bare the thought of the only person who's opinion ever mattered to my daughter doubting her now. I don't think she could bare it either and I'm so afraid she'll..."

He trailed off there, his voice lost and desperate and all it did was fuel the sudden fire inside of Spencer. It was Raife this time that shrunk back in his chair as Spencer stood up, her own chair being flung back violently.

"You do not get to make this my responsibility! I'm doubting her? _Me_?! You're the one doing her a disservice right now, you're the one thinking she's going to bolt or screw up again, _you're_ the one that's doubting her. I might still be so angry at her that I can't look at her without it hurting, but even I realize she's different now. If you can't see that, if all you can see is your own shortcomings as a parent back then when you look at her now, then this is going to play out exactly like you fear it will."

Raife sat with his head bowed, his hands buried deeply in his hair. Spencer could see he was trying to keep his shoulders from shaking, suspected that for the second time in her life she was about to see Raife Davies cry.

"I just...I..." He shook his head once and looked up, eyes damp and mouth thin with tension. "I just don't want to lose her again. I made so many mistakes when it came to her and I've got so much to make up for, but I don't know how..."

Spencer sighed and sat back down, her headache making it's pounding presence known again.

"Mr Davies..." Spencer paused, hating how professional and detached she sounded. "Raife, get to know her. Get to know who she is today and go from there. You can't change the past, but she's here now and as much as I hate to admit it, she's not that girl anymore. So have some faith in her and let her show you who she's become. I think that's all she's really asking from you, to forgive her for what she's done and see that she's a different person now. A better person."

Somehow she didn't choke on those words, even though her throat closed up as she spoke them. For a split second she wondered if she was talking to Raife or to herself, hating how torn she was between hating Ashley Davies and...well, feeling something completely opposite to that emotion.

"You're right, but than _that's_ why I hired you: you're always right, Spencer."

Spencer found herself smiling sadly at that.

"If you say so..."

They were quiet for a moment, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts before Raife seemed to rouse himself.

"Just promise me one thing, Spencer."

Spencer tensed, her stomach turning in anticipation of what she somehow knew he was about to ask.

"What's that?"

He smiled somewhat, like they were playing a game of chess without her realizing it and she just left her king unguarded.

"Promise me you'll do the same? Promise you'll get to know who she is today without being blinded by the past?"

Checkmate.

"Do I have any choice after that little speech I made?"

Raife grinned and shook his head, strolling out of her office without a further word. Sometimes Spencer forgot that Raife Davies singlehandedly built himself an empire with nothing but his own strong will and a cunningly sharp mind. Today she was thoroughly reminded of that fact.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Spencer was exhausted. She'd had a difficult meeting with an union rep from one of their subsidiary companies that was in construction, having gone in somewhat unprepared as the problem had been thrust onto her without warning, and then had to go over some lease agreements with regards to the Waterman Tower. All in all it had been a spectacularly crappy day and the fact that she hadn't had a bite to eat in more than eight hours was just the cherry on top.

When she pulled up in front of her house she amended that statement. The cherry on top was seeing Ashley Davies sitting on her front steps in the beam of her headlights.

For a few seconds she just sat in her car, letting her exhaustion flow through her and turn her arms and legs to lead as she watched the woman sitting patiently in wait for her. Then with a sigh she grabbed her briefcase and shoved open her door.

"What are you doing here?"

Ashley got up gingerly, her back popping as she stretched her arms out wide and shook the limbs around a bit.

"All my stuff is still here."

Spencer nodded her head and then stood there staring at Ashley, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do next.

"Oh, right. Have you been waiting long?"

She asked out of politeness, falling back on small talk to fill in the awkward quiet.

"Uhm, since just after seven actually."

Automatically Spencer looked at her watch, her eyebrows drawing together as she took in the time.

"You've been sitting on my steps for an hour and a half? Why didn't you just call me?"

Ashley shrugged, not meeting Spencer's eyes as she looked out towards where the sound of the surf breaking could be heard.

"Besides the fact that you didn't give me your number, I actually found it really peaceful out here. I took a walk and just...relaxed a bit. I didn't mind waiting."

Once again an awkward silence crept in, Spencer watching Ashley look anywhere but at her. The growling of her own stomach broke the constrained tension between them.

"Here, let me take your briefcase, you look about ready to fall over."

Before she could say anything, Ashley had reached over and deftly taken a hold of her briefcase, a hand on her lower back gently shoving her towards the steps.

"Yeah, I had a long day."

Then she was gamely letting herself be lead up to her front door, ignoring the snickering little voice in her head that was telling her that Ashley carrying her briefcase was the equivalent of letting some boy carry her books back in high school.

Once inside she kicked off her heels and let her hair loose, sighing with satisfaction as some of the tension in her shoulders eased. Lights flooded the house and Spencer made her way to the kitchen, intent on finding anything she could eat at this point. When she found a yogurt that was still edible in her fridge, she almost cried with relief. She was halfway through the small container when she heard Ashley's sigh behind her. When she turned around it was to face an unhappy looking Ashley.

"What?"

Ashley shook her head at that and pointed to the half eaten yogurt.

"That's what you're having for dinner?"

Something about Ashley's tone of voice made Spencer straighten up guiltily, like when she was a child and her dad caught her doing something she shouldn't have. He'd sound almost exactly as Ashley had just sounded.

"Uhm...I was probably going to make some toast once I finished it?"

Somehow it came out as a question rather than a statement, earning her an eye roll of epic proportions from Ashley.

"Or maybe you were going to sit down at the kitchen table and let me make us some...what do you have that I could make? I mean is there actually something edible in here that isn't yogurt?"

Spencer wanted to object, because she knew that somewhere in there was an insult, but Ashley didn't give her time. She was pushed down into a chair and then watched as Ashley started flinging open cupboard doors. A pack of raw pasta appeared from somewhere and Spencer wondered if it was still edible, knowing she'd bought it back when she'd moved in. And that was a long time ago...

"You're going to cook?"

Ashley pulled her head out of the freezer long enough to give Spencer a quick look, answering as she pulled what appeared to be frozen chicken out.

"Yes, I'm going to cook and don't worry, I do actually know how. I mean I'm not going to be winning any prizes, but I can do the basics without giving anyone food poisoning."

Spencer didn't question her further, just sat quietly and watched her bring water to a boil, watched as she used the microwave to defrost the chicken and whip up a sauce from God knew what. There was a practiced ease to Ashley's movements despite the fact that it took her a few moments to find all the pots and utensils she needed.

"So I had lunch with Madison."

Spencer was startled by Ashley's low voice, still a bit mesmerized by the motion of the woman's hands deftly cutting the now thawed chicken into thin strips.

"And?"

The quick slicing motion halted for a second and Spencer looked up, caught Ashley's smiling eyes.

"She's fucking crazy." She waited a beat, gave a crooked smile. "And I think I mean that in the nicest way possible."

Spencer found herself smiling along, knowing exactly what Ashley meant about Madison. The woman was a bit of a contradiction most of the time, what with her ability to cut cleanly through bullshit while still somehow managing to be completely oblivious to most anything else that didn't directly involve her.

"Yeah, she takes some getting used to, but if you take the time to get to know her...She's a great person."

Ashley just smiled again, then got back to her cooking. Spencer found it surreal that they were actually in her kitchen having a pleasant, if quiet, evening together. In her current state of bone tiredness, Spencer simply couldn't muster up enough energy to be angry or accusing. She honestly just wanted to sit there and not have to fight, or have another intense conversation that left her feeling like she had been emotionally tortured.

Two days of that had been enough already, so for now she could ignore the large elephant wearing a pink tutu between them. For her own sanity she had to do that tonight.

"That smells delicious."

By this point Spencer was sprawled haphazardly over the kitchen chair, all tired legs and arms splayed every which way. Ashley gave her a look and a soft smile, surprising Spencer when she extended a hand and pushed a strand of hair away from her face. The touch didn't linger, but Spencer none the less closed her eyes and leaned just a fraction of an inch towards it.

"God, you're really out of it, aren't you?"

Spencer didn't open her eyes, just nodded her head once and sighed.

"Come on then, go crash on the couch and I'll bring you a plate out when it's ready before you end up a snoring, drooling mess on the table here."

Spencer shook her head once, realizing that she was only seconds away from falling asleep at barely past nine o'clock at night.

"No, let me rather make us some coffee or something, otherwise I'll be out like a light and then not even an earthquake could wake me." She took two steps towards the kettle before coming to an abrupt halt. "And I don't snore or drool..." She took another step and cocked her head in thought, adding softly: "..._much_."

Ashley gave a surprised bark of laughter at Spencer's seemingly playful answer before turning back to the pasta on the stove. Spencer for her part found herself mindlessly going through the motions of making coffee, feeling her energy levels perk up at the mere smell of the rich coffee. She wondered into the lounge, glancing at her CD case before picking something and playing it loudly, neighbors be damned.

By the time she got back to the kitchen the water was boiled and she filled two cups, generously adding heaps of sugar before plopping one down on the counter next to Ashley.

"Thanks. Mind setting the table, this is almost done."

Spencer did as asked and found herself smiling as she found forks and plates, realizing she and Ashley were both sining along to the CD and only mildly butchering Bruce Springsteen in the process. She caught Ashley's eye and then almost dropped a plate she was laughing so hard when she realized the woman was gleefully playing imaginary drums with her stirring spoon, sending pasta sauce every which way.

"_Born down in a dead man's town  
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground  
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much_

_'Til you spend half your life just covering up"_

"_Born in the U.S.A!_

_Born in the U.S.A!_

_Born in the U.S.A!_"

Maybe it was the fact that she was half dead with hunger and exhaustion, maybe it was the way Ashley looked years younger in that moment, but Spencer found herself heartily swinging her arm through the air, doing a mean guitar solo if she had to say so herself. Ashley threw her head back, dark curls tumbling along the column of her throat and laughed, her hips already starting to sway.

They finished the whole song off like that, both breathless and flushed, the smell of cooked pasta and warm coffee in the air. Spencer couldn't remember the last time she had done something as silly as dancing around her kitchen, but she couldn't help but admit it had been fun. When you worked mostly twelve hour weeks you sometimes forgot to have fun, or you simply didn't have the time or energy for it.

"That was..."

Spencer raised her eyebrows at Ashley, cocking her head to the side, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

"What? It was a good work-out? The stupidest thing you've done in ages? Come on, tell me."

Ashley caught the corner of her mouth between her teeth, stood and stared off into space for a few more seconds.

"It was the most fun I've had in six months, that's what. I didn't think I knew how to do that anymore."

Spencer thought it was a strange thing for her to say, because if there was one thing Ashley knew how to do it was have fun. Well, at least the girl she remembered her being knew how to have fun, which maybe proved her own point to Raife earlier of forgetting who Ashley was in the past and concentrating on who she's become.

"Well, all things aside then, I'm glad you had some fun."

Spencer knew she meant it as well, because as many things as there were that stood between them ever being the kind of friends they used to be, despite the resentment and anger on her side, there was a part of her that could never really want anything but the best for Ashley.

"Coming from you that means a lot, Spence. Thank you."

They were quiet then, not a lot said as Ashley dished up the chicken pasta she made before taking a seat across from Spencer at the kitchen table. Spencer found herself strangely at ease as she sat eating, Ashley's presence in her house not needling her as much as it had the night before. She wasn't sure that much had changed in the few hours since then, resigned herself to the fact that she really was just too tired tonight to care.

"You're honestly trying to make things right, aren't you?"

Spencer knew the answer to that question already, but she needed to hear Ashley say it just one more time.

"Yes, I really am."

Ashley didn't hesitate, didn't sound anything but honest and sure. Spencer nodded and looked down onto her now empty plate, her chest suddenly constricting as she spoke.

"Okay. You can stay here as long as you need to, until you work things out with your parents or find a place of your own, I don't mind. This doesn't mean I've forgiven you for anything, or that anything is magically fine again, but I'm going to give you a chance, Ash."

Ashley seemed startled at this, her hands hovering in stilted surprise just above her own plate.

"You don't have to do this, Spencer, I'll be fine in a hotel for a few days. I don't... I've hurt you enough, taken advantage of you enough, so I won't invade your privacy like this. I know you didn't want me in your house to begin with and though I think you're a better person than most to offer it anyway, I'm not taking you up on the offer." She looked up than, something burning in her brown eyes that set the pit of Spencer's stomach alight. "No matter how much I want to."

Then Ashley got up and walked around the table, coming to a stop so close that Spencer could faintly smell her sweet perfume. She leaned down, lay her lips against Spencer's cheek and hovered there for a second before pulling back.

"Thank you though, I don't think you know how much it means to me that you'd offer in the first place."

Her footsteps echoed through the suddenly quiet kitchen and Spencer listened as they faded, were replaced with the sound of Ashley packing up the few belongings she had scattered in the guest room. When she heard her own front door open and shut, she had to bite her lip to keep from...well, she didn't know what.

All she knew was that as irrational and idiotic as it seemed, she felt once again abandoned by Ashley, much as she had waking up that morning so long ago. She sat there thinking about that for a moment, thinking about how things had been when they were younger, remembered Raife's pleas to her to help him keep his daughter. Then with a resolute nod she pushed up from the table and walked to her front door, finding Ashley on the other side with her cellphone pressed against her ear.

She unceremoniously took the phone and canceled the call that was surely to a cab company and stared the surprised Ashley down.

"You're staying, because I won't let you make the same mistakes you did back then. Don't try to spare me or protect me or whatever else it was you thought you were doing back then by not talking to me and letting me help you. You're not alone, you have people that care, no matter how angry we might be, so you don't get to do this on your own. That was the problem to begin with, wasn't it? You thought you could handle things on your own, or that you didn't need anyone or whatever the hell else, but you were wrong back then and you're wrong now. You need us, that's why you came back, and now you have us. Deal with it."

Then it was Spencer who stood surprised as Ashley flung herself into her arms, as she became the woman she was earlier that day at breakfast, the one that seemed so heartbroken and scared. She sobbed so hard that _Spencer's_ body shook with it's force and all the blond could think to do was hold onto her as tightly as she could.

"There's so much, Spencer. So much I should tell you, so much that I don't know how to deal with, but I don't...I don't know where to begin...how to make any of this okay."

Spencer sighed and pulled away from Ashley, just far enough so that she could run her thumbs over her cheeks and try to stem her tears.

"Start by coming inside, Ash. We can tackle the rest tomorrow."

So that's what they did, they walked back into the house and closed the door behind them, locking their past and all the mistakes made in it away for the night. Spencer knew the chance she was taking, knew that come daylight she would most probably regret this decision, but she couldn't stop herself.

However hard she fought it, however much she hated it, she would always love Ashley Davies. She had loved her as a little girl, when Ashley was her best friend and the closest thing to a sister she would ever know, when they were teenagers, when that love changed and filled Spencer with excitement, with promise and hope for their future.

And she even loved her long after Ashley was gone, after she had put back together what she could of her broken heart, because loving her was a fundamental thing for Spencer and fighting that for the last nine years had taken it's toll. The last two days, faced with the woman and all the emotions she forced Spencer to acknowledge, had simply proven that to her.

So Spencer would help her despite everything, because she had always loved Ashley in some form or other and she always would.

No matter what it cost her in the end...

--------

"_How can I just let you walk away  
Just let you leave without a trace  
When I stand here taking every breath with you (ooh..)  
You're the only one who really knew me at all_

How can you just walk away from me  
When all I can do is watch you leave?  
'Cause we shared the laughter and the pain  
And even shared the tears  
You're the only one who really knew me at all" 

**Against all odds – The postal service**

**So hopefully a few of you remembered this and gave it a read. As always I'd appreciate some feedback, even if it is just death threats for going off grid for so long!**


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